JPH0472293B2 - - Google Patents

Description

Claim 1: A data card for use with a card reader, comprising a billfold-sized card base having opposing sides and a length equal to or exceeding the width, and a reflectance of greater than 15%. a first elongated strip of high resolution reflective laser recording material protectively bonded to a large, clear plastic thin layer material and adhered to the card base, said first strip containing binary bits; It has a laser recording capacity of at least 250,000 bits, each bit having a size of less than 50 microns but less than 1 micron in order to permanently record optically readable data on said laser recording material. a spot in the laser recording material that is large, and the spot is aligned in a path, the path being created by linear movement of the card and the laser beam, and the first band is made of direct read aphthalite material; further comprising a second elongated strip of magnetic recording material adhered to the card base, the first and second strips being disposed longitudinally parallel to each other, and the magnetic material being adapted for backup of laser recording material. A data card for use with a card reader, having the functionality and capacity of

2. The card of claim 1, wherein the first and second bands are adhered to the same side of the card base.

3. The card of claim 1, wherein the first and second bands are adhered to opposite sides of the card base.

4. A card as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first strip contains prerecorded data bits represented by rectangular and orbitally aligned spots.

5. The card of claim 4, wherein the spots are aligned within a self-clocking barcode.

6 a card, said card comprising: a billfold-sized card base having opposite sides and a length equal to or exceeding the width; and a transparent plastic thin layer material having a reflectance greater than 15%. a first elongated strip of high resolution reflective laser recording material protectively coupled to and adhered to the card base, the first strip comprising two
having a laser recording capacity of at least 250,000 bits in advance, each bit being 50 microns or less in size for permanently recording optically readable data on said laser recording material; a spot in the laser recording material larger than 1 micron, and the spot is aligned in a path, the path is created by linear movement of a card and a laser beam, and the first band is a direct read afterlight. material, said card further comprising a second elongated strip of magnetic recording material adhered to said card base, said first and second strips being disposed parallel to each other and on the same side of said card base. spaced apart from each other, said first and second bands extending longitudinally, said magnetic material having a function and capacity for backup of laser recording material; optical writing means for optically writing transaction data into the first band; optical reading means for optically reading transaction data from the first band; and magnetically writing data into the second band. A data card transaction processing system comprising: magnetic writing means for writing; and magnetic reading means for magnetically reading data from said second band.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the laser is a semiconductor diode laser.

8. Claim 6, wherein said first and second bands are adhered to opposite sides of said card base.
System described in section.

9. The system of claim 6, wherein the first band includes prerecorded data bits represented by spots that are rectangular and aligned with the trajectory.

TECHNICAL FIELD This invention relates to data cards and data card transaction processing systems, and more particularly to data cards and data card processing systems that can be used in automatic teller machines and the like.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION In large cities, electronic funds transfer systems enable customers of banks to process transactions at any time of the day and from any location. However, one problem encountered is its safety. Usually banks have a centralized data processing and all automatic teller machines (ATMs) are linked to this computer (CPU) by communication lines such as telephone or microwave links.

Often for security purposes, ATMs are located inside banks. This is done for two reasons. First, ATMs hold a lot of money.
Second, access to ATMs is tightly controlled, including access to communication links. Thus, not only is there a requirement for physical security for the gold involved, but there is also a requirement for security of communications because the communication device allows access to the gold. It is widely acknowledged that one of the weaknesses of ATM banking is the security of communications. To improve communication security, most banks employ data encryption between ATMs and CPUs. The problem with data encryption is that it makes system maintenance more complex and the ATM machine itself more cumbersome. Furthermore, a new security issue arises, namely the security of the cryptographic system. Security for cryptographic devices
It should be almost as large as it is for the ATM itself. This is because these devices contain clear data. The solution is to incorporate such devices into ATMs, so the data coming out of the ATM is encrypted.

Although encrypted ATMs are now used in large cities, electronic funds transfer systems are not used in small isolated areas where communication links to CPUs in large cities are completely cost-effective. can be expensive and often
Interfering with ATM usage. Many such regions still use the modern version of paper bankbook banking, and it appears that this method of banking will remain the primary method of conducting banking business for the foreseeable future. In these areas, as in large cities, it is desirable to revert to simpler ATMs, one without expensive telecommunications links to the CPU that require data encryption equipment. Therefore, remote
It is an object of this invention to devise a banking card to facilitate electronic bankbook banking in cooperation with ATMs that are not connected to a CPU and do not have an external data encryption system.

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION The above objects are met by a high information capacity data card for use with card readers in conjunction with ATMs and similar devices. A data card is a wallet-sized card, such as a credit card, having two data bands on the card, preferably parallel to the longitudinal dimension of the card. The first band comprises high resolution, high capacity reflective laser recording material. The second band is comprised of magnetic recording material parallel to and spaced from the first band. The laser recording material is intended as a record for bank passbook banking. In other words, bank passbook type records associated with all deposits, withdrawals, interest payments and service charges are contained on the first band. This data reads the band against the user confirmation and current data, and then updates the current data by laser writing.
Can be entered by ATM.

One of the main advantages of this invention is the high information capacity of the laser recording media strip. Typically, high-resolution laser recording materials have dimensions of a few microns or tens of microns.
Spots having dimensions on the order of microns are recorded. The high capacity laser recording material strip allows the credit card to have a richer amount of text scores and equivalents for bankbook banking applications, verification and similar uses. Furthermore, the magnetic strip on the same card provides harmonization with existing devices that do not have laser writing and reading capabilities, backup in case of failure of the optical system, and special security against confirmation of user access.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a plan view of one side of a data card according to the invention.

FIG. 2 is a partial side cross-sectional view taken along line 2--2 of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of one side of another embodiment of the data card according to the invention.

4 is a partial side cross-sectional view taken along line 4--4 of FIG. 3. FIG.

FIG. 5 is a detail of the laser writing on the portion of the laser recording band indicated by the dotted line in FIG.

FIG. 6 is a plan view of the apparatus for reading and writing on the optical recording media strip shown in FIGS. 1 and 3;

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, a data card 11 is shown having a size common to most credit cards. The width dimension of such a card is approx.
54mm, and the length dimension is approximately 85mm. These dimensions are not critical, and such sizes are preferred because they fit easily into wallets and have historically been employed as convenient sizes for automatic teller machines and the like. Card base 13 is dielectric, typically a plastic material such as polyvinyl chloride or a similar material. The surface finish of the base must have a low specular reflectance, preferably 10% or less. Base 13 is
It has a pair of shallow grooves that support first and second bands 15 and 17, respectively. Each obi is approx.
They are 15 mm wide and run parallel to each other along the length of the card and spaced a few mm apart. Alternatively, the first band may have a different size and orientation than the second band. The obi is relatively thin, approx.
100-500 microns, but this is not critical. The bands may be applied to the card by any convenient method that achieves flatness. An automatic method for attaching magnetic strips is described in United States Patent No. 4,231,828.
The two strips are affixed to the card with adhesive and covered by a thin transparent sheet 19 which keeps the strip 15 flat as well as protects the strip 15 from dirt and scratches. Sheet 19 is a thin, transparent plastic sheet laminar material or a coating such as a transparent lacquer. Sheet 19 covers only the first band and does not cover the second band.

The opposite side of the base 13 may have a user confirmation indicia expressed on the surface of the card. Other indicia such as card expiry date data, card number, etc. may also be optionally provided.

The high resolution laser recording material forming strip 15 is used as a direct read-after-write (DRAW) optical disk, as long as the material can be formed on a thin substrate. Any reflective recording material developed in the past may be used. The advantage of reflective material over transparent material is that the read/write devices are all on one side of the card and autofocusing is easier. For example, the high resolution materials described in U.S. Patent No. 4,230,939 to deBont et al. include Bl, Te, Ind, Sn,
Cu, Al, Pt, Au, Rh, As, Sb, Ge, Se, Ga
teaches thin metal recording layers of reflective metals such as. Preferred materials are those with high reflectivity and low melting points, especially Cd, Sn, Tl, Ind,
Bl and amalgam. Suspension of reflective metal particles in organic colloids also forms a low melting temperature laser recording medium. The laser recording material chosen must be compatible with the laser used to write on it. Some materials are more sensitive at certain wavelengths than others. Good sensitivity to infrared light is preferred because the infrared light is not affected in any way by scratches and contaminants on the transparent thin-layer sheet.
The selected recording material is the lead/lead with which it is used.
It should have a favorable signal-to-noise ratio in the light system. A large number of highly reflective laser recording materials are used for optical data disk applications. The reflectance is at least 15% and preferably greater than 25%. A reflectance of about 50% means that when the reflectance of a spot in the reflective material is less than 10%,
preferable.

With reference to FIGS. 3 and 4, card 21
is shown having a plastic base 23 similar to base 13 in FIG. card 21
has opposed first and second bands 25 and 27 adhered thereto, and has a transparent thin sheet 29 covering the base while holding the bands 25 rigidly in place. The first band 25 is the first
The second band 27 is a high resolution laser recording material corresponding to band 15 in the figure, while the second band 27 is a magnetic recording material corresponding to band 17 in FIG. Third
The cards of Figures 1 and 4 are substantially the same as the cards of Figures 1 and 2, except that the two bands are aligned. In Figure 1,
The strips are on the same side of the card, so all read and write transducers can be located on the same side of the card, whereas in Figure 3 the optical transducers are on one side of the card. and the magnetic transducer must be located on the opposite side of the card in order to read and write on it.

Referring to FIG. 5, an enlarged view of laser writing on laser recording material strip 15 is shown. Dotted line 33 is the first
This corresponds to the dotted line 33 in the figure. The rectangular spots 35 are aligned in one orbit and have approximately similar dimensions. The spots are generally circular or elliptical in shape, with the axis of the ellipse perpendicular to the longitudinal dimension of the band. A second group of spots 37 are shown aligned in a second trajectory. Spot 37 has similar dimensions to spot 35. The spacing between the tracks is not determinative, except that the optics of the readback system must be able to easily distinguish between the tracks.

Currently in optical disk technology, trajectories separated by only a few microns can be resolved. The spot spacing and pattern along each trajectory are chosen for easy decoding. For example, oblong spots of the type shown can be closely spaced or spaced according to self-clocking bar codes. If a change in spot size is required, such size can be achieved by adjacent spots, such as double spots 39. Such a variation is used in the ETAB barcode described in United States Patent No. 4,245,152. American Bankers Association
Although the Association has not yet adopted any unique code, the band material will be compatible with many machines and eye-readable codes. Universal Product Code
Some optical codes, such as Code), are both machine and eye readable. Although such codes are acceptable, they require significantly more laser writing than those with circular or oblong spots, and the achieved information density is much lower. The bits shown in FIG. 5 have a recommended size of approximately 5 microns by 20 microns, or are circular spots of either 5 or 10 microns in diameter. Generally, the smallest dimension of a spot is
Must be less than 50 microns. In preferred embodiments, the largest dimension is also 50 microns or less. Of course, to offset the lower density from larger spots, the size of bands 15 or 25 can be extended to the point of covering a large area of the card. In Figure 3, laser recording band 2
5 can completely cover one side of the card. A minimum information capacity of 250,000 bits is indicated,
A storage capacity of over 1 million bits is preferred.

In FIG. 6, a side view of the longitudinal dimensions of the card 41 is shown. The cards are typically received in a movable holder 42, which carries the cards into the beam trajectory. The laser light source 43 is preferably a pulsed semiconductor laser with an infrared wavelength,
Beam 45 passing through collimation and focusing optic 47
radiate. The beam is sampled by beam splitter 49, which transmits the portion of the beam that passes through converging lens 51 to photodetector 53. Detector 53 confirms the laser writing and it is not significant. The beam is then directed onto a first servo control mirror 55 which is mounted for rotation along axis 57 in the direction indicated by arrow A. The purpose of mirror 55 is to locate the lateral edge of the laser recording material in the coarse mode of operation, and then to identify the data trajectory that lies at a predetermined distance from the edge in the fine mode of operation.

The beam is directed from mirror 55 to mirror 61. This mirror is mounted for rotation on a pivot axis 63. The purpose of mirror 61 is for fine control of the movement of the beam along the length of the card. Coarse control of the longitudinal position of the card relative to the beam is achieved by movement of the movable holder 42.
The position of the holder may be established by a linear motor adjusted by a close loop position servo system of the type used in magnetic disk drives. Reference position information may be pre-recorded on the card so that a position error signal is generated and used as feedback in the motor control. When reading one data trajectory, mirror 55 is rotated slightly. The motor moves the holder 42 longitudinally so the trajectory can be read. When light is scattered and reflected from the bit, the reflectance of the beam is
The spot is completely present and changes relative to the surrounding material. The beam must impart sufficient laser pulse energy to the surface of the recording material to create the bits. Typically 5-10 milliwatts are required, depending on the recording material. The wavelength of the laser should be matched to the recording material. In read mode, power is reduced to about 5% of recording power.

The difference in reflectance between the spot and the surrounding material is detected by a photodetector 65, which may be a photodiode. The light is focused onto detector 65 by beam splitter 67 and converging lens 69. A servo motor (not shown) controls the position of the mirror and drives the mirror according to commands received from the control circuit as well as from the feedback device. Detector 65 produces an electrical signal corresponding to the spot. These signals are processed and recorded for subsequent display as valid information regarding the transaction recorded on the card. FIG. 6 does not show the magnetic transducer used to read the magnetic stripe. Such transducers and codes for magnetic stripes are well known.

In operation, the card of this invention can be used just like a bank passbook. First, the card is read to determine prerecorded information. The user then enters the person's transaction, and if it is validated by the ATM,
The ATM then generates data to be written onto the first strip by a laser. The data will be entered in the bank passbook with the new calculation status. Working in this mode, the user is free to stand in an isolated location
The card of this invention may be used in ATMs.
Although it is necessary for the ATM to record each transaction, there is no need to transmit the transaction data using a telecommunications link to a remote CPU.